By Zach Roberts
In September of 2020, an Adventist church in Wisconsin made headlines. Not for a sign on the wall written in blood like in Daniel, but a sign on the lawn of the church written in black and red block letters. “Black Lives Matter,” it read.
The words were accompanied by a Scripture reference, Jeremiah 22:3 that says, “This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.”
Naturally, this church and its sign made heads turn, both on the road and across the Internet. The Seventh-day Adventist church is among the fastest growing denominations with 21.4 million members worldwide, and many members expressed strong views about the church sign.
According to an article written for the NAD (North American Division of Adventists), Stephen Hall, the pastor of the church, received lots of differing opinions, especially concern and disagreement. Hall believes “Black Lives Matter” to be a biblical truth. Both things, posting Black Lives Matter and then calling it a biblical truth have heavy ramifications.
Black Lives Matter seems to be quite a divisive topic these days. People in secular society are extremely divided over this issue, and those within the church are no different.
It’s my goal, through research, interviews and other methods, to find out just how big the chasm is on racial issues in the church. I’ll also be looking at the history of the church and its dealings with racial issues and racial justice.
How did church members react to the Martin Luther King, Jr.-led Civil Rights movement? What about segregation? Slavery? The list goes on, and I’m planning to answer all those questions and more.